French Miners Called On For General Strike By Federation

Grey River Argus, 5 October 1948, Page 5

French Miners Called On For General Strike By Federation

PARIS, October 3.

The Communist-controlled General Confederation of Labour announced a general strike of most of France’s 350,000 coal miners will start to-morrow morning.

The announcement came as a reply to a proposal from the non-Com-munist Christian Mineworkers’ Federation that a strike should be limited to 48 hours. One-day protest strikes by workers in the nationalised postal, telegraph and telephone services, Paris waterworks and several branches ot the civil service are also planned. Troops in the Nord and Pas de Calais departments have been confined to barracks and reinforcements of the Republican Security Companies have been sent to mining areas in anticipation of a general strike. The authorities are taking precautions to maintain order and protect miners desiring to continue work. 1

Strike Starts Very Quietly (Rec. 10.50). LONDON, Oct. 4. Reuter’s Faris correspondent says: The big coal strike in France started quietly. Groups of pickets gathered at pitheads. But the early morning atmosphere was calm, and no accidents were reported. There were no soldiers or police in evidence. French Would Not Fight Against Russians STATEMENT OF COMMUNIST LEADER (N.Z.P.A.—REUTER CABLE) (Rec. 9.30). PARIS, October 4. The French Communist leader, M. Thorez, has criticised the Western Union defence organisation. He said that it must be made known that people of France would never fight against Russia. _